(The
Pixie
Footpath entries will be on their
web
page only)Waterworks
Road and Pixie Path to Mill Hill transect is 525 metres long (Magic
Map)When
I went to St. Nicolas School in the early 1960s this was at the foot of
a bare (no scrub) Mill Hill.

13
December 2006A
Grey
Squirrel crossed the road by the Field
Maple Spinney by jumping from one thin branch
to another about three metres above the road. 2006
was the first year I had seen squirrels
in this area, part of the old Mill Hill.The
Wood
Blewit, Lepista nuda,
mushroomswere
now only occasionally seen in the Field Maple
Spinney between the Steyning Road and the Waterworks Road.
All of them were now brownish.

The
small Candle Snuff Fungus, Xylaria
sp.,
was
also present in small amounts on wooden tree stumps. A
small clump of the Glistening
Inkcap, Coprinus
micaceus, were spotted on the muddy
path between the Waterworks Road and the Butterfly Copse below Frampton's
Field. These inkcaps
had not been seen here before.

6
December 2006Wood
Blewit, Lepista nuda,
mushrooms
grow on the leaf litter and not in the soil as written in some of the books.
These mushrooms were still frequently seen in the Field
Maple Spinney between the Steyning Road and the Waterworks Road.
The older mushrooms had lost their bluish tinge and were beginning to turn
brownish.

27
November 2006The
number of Wood Blewit, Lepista nuda,
mushrooms
on the leaf litter in the Maple Spinney between
the Steyning Road and the Waterworks Road
was now over 25 and the largest ones measured over 70 mm in diameter. There
was one closed Common Ink Cap,
Coprinus
atramentarius next to a buried root or
twig.Adur
Fungi 2006

21
November 2006A
handful of Wood Blewit, Lepista
nuda,mushrooms
protruded from the leaf litter (to which they were attached as decomposers)
in the Maple Spinney between the Steyning
Road and the Waterworks Road.

30
October 2006The
first young and small Wood Blewit (mushroom),
Lepista
nuda, of the year appeared under Field
Maple attached to the leaf litter in in
the Maple Spinney between the Steyning Road and the Waterworks Road. A
Grey
Squirrel was seen climbing up a small
tree for the first time in the spinney.

8 October
2006There
were a handful of Red Admiral Butterflies
and one Comma Butterfly on
the Waterworks Road and the nearby Butterfly Copse.

Flowers
noted on the verges were White Dead-nettle
(common), Black Nightshade*,
Scentless
Mayweed, Wild Basil, Field Bindweed, Nipplewort,
Field
Speedwell (second flowering?), Common Stork's-bill,
Dandelions
(one
noted in the Butterfly Copse),and other common species, e.g. one of the
Sow
Thistles, that I did not make a mental note
of as I passed. Underneath the Flyover
a patch of fresh soil seems to been uncovered or introduced by the activites
of the construction team repairing the concrete bridge. This was
where the Black Nightshade
was discovered in flower.

17 September
2006As
the wild flowers were generally dying
out everywhere, I decided to make a note of where the diminished numbers
of butterflies were seen and what nectar
plants if any they were using. My first stop
was the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road, and it was the Ivy
(rather than the remaining Buddleia)
that was the attractant for too many many Red
Admirals to count immediately, at least
a dozen fluttering around and not remaining still for long all on the single
large bush. One bright orange Comma Butterfly
was also spotted quickly.

There
were frequent hoverflies on the Ivy including
at least one Volucella zonaria.There
were also a few Common Darter
dragonflies.

16
September 2006At
least a dozen Red Admirals
were immediately seen on the Ivy in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks
Road followed by four Comma Butterflies
in five minutes. Three Large White Butterflies
were seen over the Waterworks Road and other were seen by the River Adur
south of the Toll Bridge.The
Ivy in the Butterfly Copse was covered in flying insects including at least
two Volucella zonaria hoverflies,
occasional Myathropa florea hoverflies,
frequent Drone Flies
Eristalis
hoverflies,
and one or two Eupeodes
? species
of hoverflies.There
were also a few Common Darter
dragonflies.

15
September 2006After
the rain and with all the spiders
and Starlings,
I was surprised to see any insects, but
in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road a damaged Speckled
Wood made a short flutter, a fresh Comma
Butterfly rested for over five minutes
in the same position on a Hawthorn,
opening and closing its wings when disturbed by hoverflies,
and at least three Red Admirals
were seen on the Ivy.A
Volucella
zonariahoverfly
was spotted on the Ivy in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road
with Myathropa florea (Occ),
Marmalade
Hoverflies Episyrphus
balteatus(Occ), Drone Flies
Eristalis
(Freq).

6 September
2006Common
Stork's-bill was noted on the verges ofthe
Waterworks Road.

21
August 2006My
second Hummingbird Hawk-moth of
the day (third this year) was seen around the Buddleia
in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks Road, where a Comma
Butterfly and a Red
Admiral were settled on the fence with
their wings closed because the sun was behind the clouds. A handful of
Holly
Blues and Speckled
Woods and a brief ray of sunshine caused
the butterflies to open their wings for under
a minute. A Painted Lady
fluttered amongst the Buddleia.
The
white butterflies came in two sizes but I was only able to recognise Large
Whites. A Queen
Common Wasp was resting. A Common
Darter landed on the fence*. A Southern
Hawker
patrolled the Waterworks Road. (* Not really a fence but the support for
the steps. It is attractive to flying insects of all sorts.)Butterfly
ReportAdur
Levels

17
August 2006Both
Migrant
Hawkers and Southern Hawkers
were seen over the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham; at least one of each
of these dragonflies was confirmed, but there
were probably more of them.

15
August 2006There
were small dragonflies everywhere, a dozen all at once over the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham. They were predictably mostly Common
Darters, but they did include the first
two Migrant Hawkers
definitely confirmed this year (although they were probably seen a week
ago).Adur
Dragonflies 2006

9 July
2006A
Broad-bodied
Chaser (dragonfly)
distracted
my attention so much that I missed a fleeting glimpse of a Comma
Butterfly in the Butterfly Copse juxta
Waterworks Road. Scentless Mayweed
was common on Frampton's Field south.In
the Sycamore wood on the Mill Hill slopes
south of the A27, I was astonished to catch a one second glimpse of a large
colourful bird fly through a gap in the leaf canopy. I did not recognise
the thrush-sized bird and I thought it was blue in colour. On reflection,
(on the following day), I decided the only bird it could have been was
a Jay.Adur
Butterfly List

7 July
2006On
an overcast
day with at least three predatory Southern
Hawker
Dragonflies
(first ones of the year) actively patrolling the Waterworks Road, it was
scarcely surprising that the only butterflies
seen were a Meadow Brown
and two Red Admirals
which could have been the same one.

This
hoverfly
can be recognised in flight by the the yellow stripes on the side of its
thorax. It hovered in mid-air frequently.

This
is a wasp (Vespoidae)(ID
to species not confirmed)

Hovering
was spasmotic and not distinctive, with more flitting about than hovering.

Lesser
Burdock was just beginning to flower on
the verges of the Waterworks Road, where two small and distinctive flying
insects were seen, the first one (left above) near where the private
road meets the Steyning Road, and the second wasp
(above right) on the path next to Frampton's Field just east of the Butterfly
Copse.Adur
HoverfliesAdur
Bees & Wasps

23
June 2006A
passing visit did not produce anything of note. The
stream thatruns
parallel with the road on the west side was almost dry.

5 June
2006A
brief detour to the Waterworks Road produced a Common
Blue Butterfly and a Large
White immediately, but after three minutes
in the warm sunshine, no other butterflies
appeared. There were hoverflies including
Volucella
bombylans var. plumataand
Myathropa
florea in the Butterfly
Copse(TQ 209 063) with
the beeNomada
fucata. A Jay
flew
near the A27
Flyover beneath the bridge.

4
June 2006By
the Steyning Road, north Shoreham at the entrance to the Maple Spinney
towards the Waterworks Road, a dozen flowers of the scarlet Grass
Vetchling were seen.

28
May 2006At
the bottom of the Pixie Path, the Butterfly
Copse hosted a Holly Blue, and
the Waterworks Road had at least two
Green-veined
Whites (confirmed by a photograph), and
at least two Large Whites
and four undetermined white butterflies.
One Peacock Butterfly
fluttered around the pony field at the northern end by the house. Two Speckled
Wood Butterflies were seen clearly. There
was also one Azure Damselfly
and one Small Red Damselfly
spotted.Butterfly
Report (all sites)

23
May 2006A
shorter than normal visit to the Waterworks
Road showed a handful of Small White Butterflies
(confirmed) one Holly Blue
and one Red Admiral.

Left: Comma
on its Stinging Nettle larval food plant

Right: Red
Admiral on Hawthorn

The
Butterfly Copse was a fraction more sheltered and a pair of Red
Admirals were courting, one Comma
Butterfly was resting on a leaf in a sheltered
spot and a Holly Blue Butterfly
fluttered around.Adur
Butterfly List

18
May 2006Three
Comma
Butterflies, a few Holly
Blues, one Orange-tip,
one worn Peacock Butterfly,
one brown butterfly probably a Speckled
Wood, at least one Red
Admiral and a confirmed Green-veined
White Butterfly as well as two or three
Large
White Butterflies were seen after a few
minutes but none appeared immediately. The sky was overcast. In the Butterfly
Copse, Red Admirals
were
courting high up on the Ivy and about five more were seen as well as some
Holly
Blues.
Two
Squash
Bugs,
Coreus, were mating on vegetation
on the verges.Adur
Bugs

At
least one Azure Damselfly, Coenagrion
puella, was seen for the first time this
year, and a Large
Red-tailed Damselfly.Adur
Levels 2006

15
May 2006

Butterflies
were slow to appear on the Waterworks Road.
After about three minutes an Orange-tip
flew by and landed on a Bluebell.
This was followed by a Large White
which disturbed the Orange-tip, simultaneous
with the appearance of the first of two Holly
Blues. Two Speckled
Woods courted and a third one was seen.

14
May 2006The
Green
Woodpecker made such a commotion that
I am tempted to think she may have young in a nest near where the public
footpath meets the private road. The weather was too cool and overcast
to bring out the insects and butterflies.

12
May 2006The
Waterworks Road (which used to be at the foot of a bare Mill
Hill, but is now overgrown) is rather convenient because it it only
takes ten minutes out of my schedule to visit and is usually better than
average wasteland for butterflies. In the
first second an Orange-tip Butterfly
flew restlessly followed almost immediately by a couple of Holly
Blues, a Large
White, Green-veined
White and a Speckled
Wood. There were a handful of all these
butterflies within five minutes although not every White
butterfly was discerned to species. It was
a poor day in the sunshine.

10
May 2006There
was a pale blue birdabout
the size of a Blackbird
that dived through a hedge and under the canopy of Field
Maple with such rapidity I could not identify
it. I heard a Cuckoo
later. A single Green Woodpecker flew out again, calling as it flew
quickly northwards over the road surface.Orange
Tip Butterflies were out in force with
a dozen (six males and six females) seen. The other butterflies
were Large White, Green-veined White,
Brimstone,
Red
Admiral, Peacock,
Speckled
Wood,
Holly
Blues and a Comma.Nine
species of butterfly.Wild
Flowers Addenda

7
May 2006On
a late afternoon passage detour, a Green
Woodpecker flew out of the shrubbery on
the western side next to Flyover approach
road, followed by it partner five seconds later and they both flew northwards
up the road with their characteristic dipping flight. There was a brief
landing of a large wasp
on the wooden railing in the Butterfly Copse (next to the Waterworks Road).

4 May
2006Just
the one Brimstone Butterfly and
three Holly Blues
in the sun and a handful of Speckled Wood
Butterflies fluttered around in the shade.Adur
Butterfly List

3 May
2006An
early evening foray to the Waterworks Road (Old Shoreham) and I was immediately
greeted by a Brimstone Butterfly
chased by a much smaller Orange Tip,
the latter the first of the year in Shoreham. It then returned and briefly
landed on the first Garlic Mustard
flower I had seen this year. There was at least two Orange
Tips seen and possibly more, as well as at
least six Speckled Woods
next to the Waterworks Road and in the Butterfly Copse. In the sunshine
the smell of the Alexanders
was pervasive.

A single
Bluebell
in flower was seen on the western verge. Epistrophe
eliganshoverfly
was added to the local list for this year and spotted on the Alexanders
at the southern end of the Waterworks Road.

2 May
2006One
only butterfly which had the virtue of immediately
putting in an appearance, a definite Green-veined
White headed for a White
Deadnettle by the Maple Spinney, ignoring
Green
Alkanet,
Dove's
Foot Cranesbill, Alexanders and not reaching
the Cow Parsley
that was just beginning to flower. A small moth
seen is likely to be Pyrausta
despicata.

Alexanders
exude a strong smell. It seems rather like an unspecified synthetic chemical,
or something that could unmask unpleasant odours, being strong, but not
particularly pleasant. This may explain why it so attractive to flies
and other insects. One plant at the top of the Butterfly Copse next to
the was visited by a small beeAndrena
dorsata.Solitary
Bee Portraits

26
April 2006With
the sun out so were the butterflies
with a Brimstone Butterfly
seen immediately on theWaterworks
Road. It posed on a Dandelion
but my camera malfunctioned. It was followed almost immediately by my first
Green-veined
White of the year chased by a smaller
Speckled
Wood Butterfly, then a Small
White and then another one. Then the first
Brimstone
disturbed another one. A few minutes later I spotted one of two Comma
Butterflies. And three minutes later two
Peacock
Butterflies showed.Adur
Butterfly List 2006Adur
Butterfly First Flight Times

24
April 2006Common
Green Shield Bugs, Palomena
prasina, were mating on the Stinging Nettles on the verges of the
Waterworks Road. My first Common Carder
Bee
Bombus
pascuorum, of the year was seen buzzing around the same area.Adur
Bugs

23
April 2006It
rained steadily but lightly for almost the complete day up until about
5:00
pm. After two days of bright sunshine, this
rain was disappointing, but could this have led to the appearance of the
mushroom
illustrated on the right growing out of the still extensive (complete covering)
leaf litter in the Maple Spinney between the Steyning Road and the Waterworks
Road. Notice the purplish tinge on the gills and stem. I think this is
the common species, probably Hypholoma
sublateritium.

Forget-me-Not
and White Nettle
were now noticed in flower on the verges of the Waterworks Road. White
Nettle is probably important for certain bees
and hoverflies.

18
April 2006Early
evening is usually relatively poor for butterflies.
At least three of the well patterned Peacock
Butterflies were seen amongst the Nettles
over the Waterworks Road. Two were flirting which made obtaining a photograph
a little difficult. Ground
Ivy was beginning to flower near the Field
Maple spinney.

15
April 2006There
were no butterflies and no Andrena
bees seen under an overcast sky. Sweet
Violets were in flower on the path from
the road to the Butterfly Copse. I do not recall seeing the small clump
there before.

9 April
2006At
the top of the Butterfly Copse, a flowering ornamental Cherry
Tree attracted scores of Andrena
bees, altogether at least one hundred
and most of them amongst the flowers high in the tree and out of camera
range. Around midday Small Tortoiseshell
Butterfly over Frampton's
Field (Old Shoreham). It was one of the dark red ones rather than the
bright orange.Adur
Bees

6 April
2006At
last I get to find my own butterflies and they stay still for long enough
to be sure of a battered Comma,
followed by an intact Comma Butterfly
on the verges of the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham, followed by an unsettled
bright yellow Brimstone Butterfly
flying over the Stinging Nettles. This was all in the first two minutes.

3 April
2006A
butterfly
rose and flew away with such rapidity that it was lost on the breeze before
I could see if it settled to identify it. However, the size and the black
underside in flight convinced me that this was a Peacock
Butterfly, rising from the ferns on the
eastern verges of the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham. There were at least
two clumps of Sweet Violets
in flower on either side of the road, amongst the abundant Stinging Nettles,
but these were the only wild flowers. At the top of the steps through the
Butterfly Copse, an ornamental Cherry Tree
was flowering.Adur
Butterfly List 2006Adur
Violets

1 April
2006In
the trees next (east side) of the twitten
at the top of The Street, Old Shoreham, as it leads on to the path next
to Frampton's Fields, I spotted a single Long-tailed
Tit as well a Song
Thrush, the latter not seen very often
this winter. A male Pheasant
trotted across Frampton's Field.

5
January 2006My
first fungus recorded this year was a small
clump of Honey Fungus
on a living tree next to the Waterworks Road, followed by several Jew's
Ear, Auricularia auricula-judae, on a prone and rotten branch.